Lamp socket



Feb. 7, 1928. 1,658599 J. HOHL LAMP SOGKE'I' Filed Nov. 21. 1922 x ATTORNE Y Patented Feb. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KOHL, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG1\TOR T MOLDED SOGKET CORIPORA-TIOZN', A CORPORATION OIE NEW JERSEY.

LAMIE SOCKET.

Application filed November 21, 1922. S.erial N0. 602,323. I

This invention relates to electric lamp sockets of the type composed ofseparable body and cap portions, and has for its object to prmide simplepositive means for 6 locking the body and cap portions in assembledrelation while permitting speedy disassembly when desired.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 showing theParts in assenr- 10 bled relation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view? of the body p0rt1on, the cap being removed.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the inter1or cf the c ap member.

Fig. 4 is a section of the body portwn only taken on the line 4-4 ofFig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lock1ng mechanism.

The socket consists in general of a cap 6 20 and a separate body 7 ofsuitable insulating material. The cap 6 has the usual central aperture11 to accommodate the end of a lamp cord, the individual conductors ofwhich may be secured by binding screws 12 26 to two oppositely disposedhook shaped terminals 13 which are held in place within the cap as byscrews 14.

Molded within the neck portion of the body is a metal screw shell oreontact 8 adapted. to 'receive a lamp or attachment plug, while acentral contact 9 i's also provided as is usual. The meeting edges ofthe cap and body are grooved as at to provide mutually engagingshoulders wh1ch prevent relative translational movement when the partsare assembled. 011 oppos1te sides of the face ofthe body are two yokeshaped contacts 15 ancl-l6. Yoke 15 is hold in place and connected toserew shell 8 b y two screws 17 (Fig. 4) while yoke 1 6 1s held againsta spring contact 18 set 1n a shallow recess on the face of the body by'two screws 19 whose heads are countersunk so as to be insulated from thelamp contacts. The relative position of the yokes 15 and 16 on the bodyand hooks 13 on the cap is such as to permit the parts to be assemblerlby bringing them together with the fi'ee portions of the Yokes just tothe left of the downwardly bent toes 20 of hooks 18'. A clockwise turnof the body relative to the cap will then cause each hook to ride underand engagethe lower surfaoe of the free portion of its adjacent-yoke,and the parts Wlll be firmly held in assembled relation.

In order that the cap and body xnay not be accidentally disassembled, 1notch the .lock the yoke and hook in engagernent I provide a catch 23which is normally hold within the notch 220f yoke 15 by a spring momber24. This spring may be of any suitable type but most desuably comprisesa bow portion 25 terminating in two feet 26. These feet are of the sameshape as the feet 27 cf yoke 15, and each has a hole regis'tering withthe tapped hole in the corresponding foot 27 which accommodates one ofthe fastening screws 17. The face of the body of the socket is recessednear one edge to receive the bow ortion 25 0f spring 24. The back or webportion of yoke 15 is cut awziy (see Fig. 5) to permi't the passagetherethrough of an arm 28 extencling invvardly frorn the outer end ofbow 25. Catch 23 is most conveniently formed integral wit-h its oarryingspring 24 by turning upwairlly the inner end of arm 28 thereof, and thenbending outwardly one edge of the upturned portion, as shown in Fig. 5.The spring and catch are secured to the body beneath the foot of yoke 15by the same sorews 17 which hold yoke 15.

The ends 20 of hooks 13 are rounded, so that as the body is rotatedrelative to the cap in assembling the parts the inner edge of the hookend 20 will engage the outer vertical edge of catch 23 to gracluallyforce the catch inward until hook notch 21 registers With yoke notch 22at which time spring 24 snaps the catch into the notches and locks theparts against further rotation. In ordei to permit removal of the bodyfrom the cap after the arts have been once assembled, I fasten a button29 to the outer arm of bow 25 of spring 24, and provide a slot 30 in thebody through which the button extends. Thus by pressure on button 29 thecatch may be moved inwardly out of the notches 21 and 22 in the hook andyoke, and the body may then be separated f'1om the cap bycounter-clockwise rotation relative thereto.

Frorn the foregoing it is obvious that screw shell 8 is in electricalcontact with one conductor 0f the lan'1p' cord when the parts areassembled, the circuit being aced'through a binding screw 12, hook 13,yoke 15 and screws 17. Yoke 16 is similarly c0nnected to the otherconduetor 0f the lamp cord. Center lamp contact 9 may loe pennanently-connected to yoke 16, laut preferably I interpose a switch of anysuicable. type between these parts.- In the present embodiment Iprovicle a cup shaped depression in the face 0f the Socket body to housethe switch, which is 0f the simple snap type. Along the bottom of thedepressiori and extending up one side thereof is a double spring contact31 (Fig. 1) which is held in place and connected Co central contact 9 bya screw 32. T0 the same screw I secure a U-shaped bracket 33. Journalledin saicl bracket is a stem 34 carrying at its inner end a rectangularconducting block 35 and ab its outer end a key 36, b0th secured forrotation with said stern. When the switch is in its ofi position (shownin the drawings) the concave end of block 35 rests on the lower bow 0fspring contact 31, whose pressure is suflicient to prevent rattling. T0turn on the switch, the key is turned.th1*ough a right angle, at whichtime block 35 connects the upper bow of s ring contact 31 to spring 18and thus comp etes the connection between center lamp contact 9 and oneconductor of the lamp cord. In this position also the pressure of theconcact sprin s on block 35 prevents rattling of the switc My inventionthus providdas a two part lamp sooket of insulating material to whichall the conducting parts are secured, and which may be easily andquickly assembled, the cap may be quickly removed from the body toconnect a lamp cord or for any other purpose, but when secured to thebooly is positively locked against accidental separation therefrom.VVhile I have described one specific embodiment of the invention indetail, it is t o be understood that this is merely for the sake ofclearness and not to limit the scope of the invention as defined. by theappencled claims.

I claim:

1. A lamp socket comprising a cap hav ing two circumferentiallyextencling hooklike conducting 1nembers, a body having cooperatinghook-like conducting members adapted to be assemblcd With the cap loy alongitudinal and rotary move1nent 0f the body with respect to the cap, ascrew so'cket electrically connectecl to one of the latter mentionedhooklike rnembers, a center lamp contact, a double spring contact havingone part electrically connectecl (o S21ld Center la1np contwtb, acontaci dispose l opposite another part of said double spring contactand connected to the other of said latter mentioned hook-like membersand a rotatable switch member coacting with said double spring contactancl said opposite contact.

2. In a lan1p socket the cornbination-with an insulat-ing cap containintwo s mmetrically disposecl notched meta lic hoo s, of an insulatingbody having two metallic yokes adapted to be rotated into engagementwith said hooks, one of said yokes having a notch in registry with thehook notch when said parts are in engagement, a catch arranged to entersaid notches to lock the parts in engagement, a spring to press thecatch into the notches, and a button extending without the socket tomove the catch out of the notches t0 permit disengagement of the parts.

' 3. In a lamp socket, the combination with an insulating capcontainingtwo oppositely disposecl notched conducting hooks, of an insulating bodyhaving at one end a screw contact and a central contact to cooperatewith a larnp and at the opposite end being cupped out to receive springcontacts and a "switch 1nernber, a yoke shaped contact securecl to theface of the body and connected to one 01 said lamp contacts, the freeportion of said yoke being ada ted to interlock with either of said ca'phoo lis to fasten together the bocly and the cap and havin a notch 'toregister with the hook notch w en interlocked with the hook, a springsecured in a recess on the face of the body beneath said yoke contact, acatch pressed by the spring into said yoke and hook notches to preventdisengagement of the yoke and hook, and 21 button operable from theexterior of the socket to release said catch.

4. An electric socket comprising a body portion and a cap portion havingpairs of interlocking memloers, one pair extending circurnferentiallyand shiftable into eiieotive engagement after the cap portion has beenplaced 0n the body portion-and rotated, a bolt slidable relative t0 saidbody engaging two of said interlocking members to lock them againstrelative shifting to ineffective position, to permit separation of thecap portio n and body portion, and manually operable rneans for shiftingsaid holt.

An electric socket comprising a body portion und a cap portion havingpairs of interlocking members, one pair extending circumferentially andshiftalole into eflective engagement after the cap portion has beenplaced on the body portion and rotated, a bolt carried b y the boclyancl sliclable relative to said members engaging two of saiclinterlocking rne1nloers to lock them against relative shifting toinefi'ectivc posiytion, to permit Separation of the cap portion and bodyPortion, and manually oporable means for shifting said bolt.

6. An electric Socket-comprising a body ortion anda cap Portion havingpairs of mterl0cking members, one air extendi ng circumferentially andshiftab?e into efi'ective 5 engagement after the cap portion has beenplaced on the body port1on and rotate'd, a springpressed holt slidablerelative to said said holt.

JOHN HOHL.

